


Onward, Upward, Homeward

by samwhambam



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: M/M, Marcy and Clint's vow renewals, aaaaaaand there's an elopment, hometown shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-05-16 01:40:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19308037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samwhambam/pseuds/samwhambam
Summary: Patrick takes David back to his hometown to visit Clint and Marcy and be there for their vow renewals. While there, David is so struck with love for his fiancé that he can't waste another minute not being married to him.





	1. Homeward

**Author's Note:**

> HI! <3 
> 
> So, things happened and like, three days ago I decided to write this and submit it for the open fic night, but then I couldn't finish because my work schedule changed, but I am posting the part 1! Part 2 will be going up maybe by the end of the week, depending on if I can figure out how to add to it (if it's different than normal because it's part of a collection. idk. we'll see)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

David stood in the middle of the aisle, contemplating his options for far too long. He glanced out the window and could see Patrick getting back into the car. David counted to three, grabbed the first bag of chips he saw and took the long way to the register, stopping to grab a soda for each of them. 

After paying, David shoved his purchases into the  _ Rose Apothecary  _ tote he brought with them and went to join Patrick. There was a brief burning of shame when Patrick asked what he bought, but it was gone in an instant when he remembered that Patrick had never judged him for his eating habits. Patrick had even encouraged it, running out to get specific desserts when David was sad and bedbound. 

“I curated the perfect road trip snack bag. We’ve got sugary, sweet and salty. Red vines, family sized bag of peanut m&ms and jalapeno kettle chips. I got us drinks, coke for me and iced tea for you,” David pulled each snack out of the bag, showing Patrick. Patrick hummed in agreement, tilted his head and smirked at David.

“Water?” Patrick asked, putting the car back into park.

“Oh fuck!” David quickly undid his seatbelt, rushing back into the store for the one thing Patrick had actually asked for. 

When they were pulling back onto the road, David opened the bag of red vines, careful to not tear the bag open farther than he needed to. He held one out to Patrick who muttered a  _ ‘thank you’  _ as he accepted it. 

“So, I was talking to your mom on Monday, and she wants me to go run errands with her on Friday for the party,” David said as he bit off a chunk of red vine. 

“And what am I doing on Friday?” Patrick asked, a touch of amusement in his voice. 

“Picking up your sister and her husband from the airport,” David supplied.

“Why do you get to do the fun stuff?” Patrick pouted and David smirked. “I’m starting to think my mom likes you more than me.”

“Probably, but it’s not your fault,” David pulled out another piece of candy when Patrick held his hand out. “We’re picking up her dress for the ceremony and she wanted to get my opinion on something she had seen to wear to our wedding.”

“Yeah, that’s more your expertise,” Patrick shifted in his seat, setting cruise control. 

“Your mom said something along the lines of  _ ‘I love my boy and I know I’m not one to talk, but I don’t trust his opinion to tell me if something looks good.’  _ So, I win in that department,” David bragged. Patrick just laughed, reaching out for David’s hand to hold.

“Are you nervous about this weekend?” Patrick asked.

“No, actually, I’m not,” David took a second to process what he was about to say. “The few times I talked to your sister, she seemed nice and her husband seems more interesting than Ted, so I think that part will be easy. And your parents have been nothing but nice and inviting since I met them. And I talk to your mom often enough that I’m actually really excited to see her and talk to her about some wedding stuff. And I feel like she’s going to be dragging me around to meet your extended family on Saturday during the party, so I’ll still be in really good company.”

“I’ll also be there,” Patrick supplied and David bit back a grin. Because of course, even if the trip was a bust, it would be a great time because Patrick was there. 

“I am very excited to see where you grew up. I get to see your bedroom and family photos and hear even more embarrassing stories from your parents about all the stupid shit you did when you were younger,” David was happy, beyond excited and still awed by the fact that this was his life now. 

“You heard the worst ones when my parents came back up after my birthday,” Patrick said. 

Two weeks after Cabaret, the Brewers returned to Schitt’s Creek to visit and celebrate the engagement. A real visit that Patrick was prepared for. They had spent the entire weekend getting to know each other and David had fallen in love with Clint and Marcy, as they had insisted David call them. 

And now, a few months later, David and Patrick were visiting his parents, in Patrick’s hometown, for Clint and Marcy’s vow renewals. And David was thrilled. He had already asked Patrick for a full, hometown tour and Patrick had agreed, only if they had time. Which meant David had talked to Marcy on the phone about it and promised to run any errands she needed on Friday, if Patrick and himself were free on Thursday for a full blown tour. She laughed and listed a few places that Patrick had to take him to, even if Patrick didn’t want to. Patrick had complained about feeling betrayed and kissed the smile off of David’s face once he hung up the phone. 

“Um, you know I love my family, right?” David asked once they themselves had settled into a silence. The music was playing softly in the background and David was fiddling with the red vine he was clutching. There was still five hours left of the drive. 

“Mhm,” Patrick stroked the back of David’s hand with his thumb, squeezing softly. 

“It took so long for us to feel like a real family and I didn’t expect to fit in with your family so easily. I was really anxious leading up to your birthday, thinking about meeting them for the first time,” David pressed his head back into the headrest. “But, once everything kind of settled down, they really made me feel right at home.”

“They love you,” Patrick said. His smile was soft and David felt himself fall farther in love when he looked at Patrick. “You’re part of the family.”

“It’s kind of overwhelming,” David replied and Patrick’s grip tightened on his hand.

“Oh, just wait until you’re in their house. I’m pretty sure my mom is going to try to steal you away from me,” Patrick laughed, shaking his head at the thought.

“Honestly, she just has to ask and I’ll probably move in.”

*

They finally arrived at the Brewer household at 1 am and they were careful, making sure not to slam the car doors shut. There was a light on in the house and when they came up to the door, it opened before Patrick could pull his copy of the key out.

“You’re finally here!” Marcy pulled Patrick into a hug, patting his face as she pulled away. She turned to David, holding her arms out and David accepted the embrace, enjoying the tight squeeze Marcy held him in. He tried not to, but he couldn’t help but try to remember the last time his mother had hugged him.

When Marcy pulled back, she stepped to the side, letting them into the house. David followed Patrick’s lead in setting their bags at the foot of the stairs. He wanted to look around, explore but he was exhausted and Marcy was leading them into the kitchen, saying something about food.

Then Patrick was saying something about them having stopped for food and  _ “we’re not hungry, mom”  _ and how dare he?

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a little snack before bed,” David said and Patrick just stared at him, his eyes glassy and so, so exhausted. 

They were standing in the kitchen when David turned to Patrick. 

“Why don’t you go on to wherever we’re sleeping and get ready for bed? I’ll be there soon and I’m sure Marcy won’t mind showing me where once we’re done here,” David offered and then he paused because was this crossing some sort of a line?

“I’ll come down after I change,” Patrick compromised and then he was out of the kitchen before Marcy or David could say anything. 

“Did you take turns driving?” Marcy asked as she opened the fridge, pulling out a lasagna from the fridge and David was so thankful. 

“No. I offered, but you know how Patrick is,” David said as he looked around. He walked to the fridge, inspecting the pictures that were held by touristy magnets. 

“That boy is stubborn and tries to make the lives of the people he loves as easy as he can,” Marcy said in agreement. 

David removed two pictures from the fridge. 

“We have our copies on our fridge too,” David said as he held them up. They were both taken the day after Patrick’s birthday. One was of just David and Patrick, standing outside the store. David’s arm was slung over Patrick’s shoulders and David was looking at the camera, his smile wide and obviously laughing at something. Patrick was looking at David and he was mid-sentence but he had his classic Patrick-Brewer-Heart-Eyes on. They both had the picture taken immediately after, where they were both smiling for the camera, but apparently each household preferred the candidness of the accidental photo best. 

The second was a picture of the four of them; Clint and Marcy were in the middle with each man on the outside. Less than five minutes later, Clint and Marcy were driving away and David had spent an hour gushing to Patrick about how he had fallen in love with them during breakfast. 

“They’re great photos,” Marcy said. She pulled the lasagna out of the microwave, placing the plate down on the place she had set for David. 

David put the photos back, taking a second to memorize how they looked together. He arranged them next to the photo of Patrick’s sister Emily and her husband. 

Marcy came up next to him and they both took a moment to stare at all the photos that littered the fridge. 

“You haven’t met Emily and Pete, right?” Marcy asked as she shuffled David back to the counter. 

“No. Just briefly on the phone a couple of times,” David sat down and began to eat. 

“You’ll like her. Both her and her husband are shy, so it might take a while, but I think you’ll like them. Patrick was the sporty one and Emily was the quiet older sister who read books all the time,” Marcy said with a smile. She had the same pensive look on her face that Patrick got. It was a soft and calculating look, one that was at peace with a happy ending. 

“If she’s anything like the Brewers I’ve met, I think we’ll be fine,” David winked at her. 

The food was delicious and Marcy refilled his water and David was struck again by how warm she was, how inviting their family was and how quickly they had all accepted him. 

While he ate, Marcy filled him in on what her and Clint had planned for the next four days. She expected a late morning for the boys on Thursday and her and Clint were expecting them to have dinner together at a restaurant owned by Marcy’s sister. She spouted out a few facts about her, but David was nearing the end of his night and couldn’t retain any of them. Friday was errands and starting to set up party stuff in the backyard and dinner at home with the whole family. 

The whole family. David was included. 

Saturday morning was the small, private vows renewal followed by the backyard party at the Brewer household. Sunday was breakfast before the Brewer children went their own ways. 

“It’s been two years since I’ve had everyone under the same roof,” Marcy said quietly. She played with crumbs on the counter, picking them up with her fingertips before flicking them into the sink and wiping the counter down with a towel. “I just can’t wait to see everyone home and happy again.” 

David bit his bottom lip, focusing on the noises around him, listening to see if Patrick was already coming down the stairs. He put his fork down.

“I hope that you and Clint know that you did nothing wrong when raising Patrick. You didn’t do anything that kept him from coming out earlier. Sometimes, when you grow up different, no matter how great your home life is, you can’t shake the fear that comes with coming out. He was scared and that had everything to do with him and not you,” David reached out to grab her hand. If you had told him 5 years ago… David shook the thought out of his head. 

“Thank you, David,” Marcy gasped out before removing her hand to wipe away her tears. “You’re really good for him.”

“Eh. We’re good for each other,” David said, shrugging. He got up, picking up his empty plate. Marcy took it from his hands, turning around to put it in the dishwasher. “Now, can you lead me to where Patrick is? I have a feeling he fell asleep.”

Marcy led him upstairs, pointing out different pictures that lined the staircase, showing him to the bathroom, pointing out the towels, letting him know that no one would be able to hear the water running if he wanted to shower and finally stopped him outside of Patrick’s childhood bedroom. Marcy hugged him goodnight, even tighter than before. 

When David opened the door, he noticed the light on in the closet and Patrick asleep on the full bed. He wanted to look around, but the sight of Patrick asleep was too enticing. So instead, he gathered his toiletries and quickly got ready for bed. He would have time to look and snoop around in the morning. 

When he was ready for bed, he pressed a kiss to Patrick’s temple, running a hand over the back of his head.

“Honey, wake up,” David soothed as Patrick stirred. “Let’s get you under the covers.”

Patrick moved clumsily, blinking up at David as David got in bed next to him. 

“Sorry, I fell asleep,” Patrick whispered as he wrapped his body around David’s. 

“It’s okay. I did notice that you have a Rogers Centre poster above your bed, though and we have to have sex while we’re here so that you can say you hit a home run in Rogers Centre,” David said as he pulled Patrick closer into him.

Patrick chuckled against his chest and then fell immediately back to sleep. 

*

When David woke up in the morning, the bed was empty and there was a new text from Patrick. 

_ I’m downstairs. Text or call if you need me. Come down whenever you want. If you text me a 10 minute warning, I can have coffee ready for you.   _

David rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared up at the white ceiling. Part of him wanted to go back to sleep, but it was already late and the excitement of being in Patrick’s childhood bedroom propelled him out of bed. The mixture of the blue walls and white and black accessories made David smile. He didn’t know much about baseball, but the room screamed Blue Jays and he knew his dad would approve. There were a couple of framed pictures of Patrick and his family and friends on his bookshelf, along with academic and sporting awards.

He made a mental note to ask Patrick about everything. He could snoop farther if he wanted to, but he wanted to hear the stories and see the significance from Patrick. Before he changed, he sent a warning text to Patrick and when he went downstairs, he saw Patrick and Marcy sitting in the living room adjacent to the dining room. The TV was playing softly in the background, but they were laughing with each other. When they heard David come up, Patrick turned to him and if Patrick hadn’t already proposed, David surely would’ve right then and there, watching the way Patrick’s already smiling face burst into pure, unadulterated happiness. 

There was a caramel macchiato with skim milk, sweetener and a dusting of cocoa powder, made by hand from the fancy espresso maker that was sitting on the kitchen counter. 

“We need one of those,” David said, sighing as he took a second sip. 

“Don’t put it on your registry, I got it,” Marcy smiled at him and David sat down next to her on the couch. 

“I see how it is, choosing to sit next to her instead of me,” Patrick teased. “Even though I’m the one who made it for you.”

David just smiled his full smile at Patrick over the top of his cup. 

*

Patrick had chauffeured David around town all afternoon and now they were at their last stop. It was a coffee shop and they stood outside of it, just staring up at the front. 

“You’re not gonna tell me what significance this has?” David asked. 

“Not yet.”

And then Patrick was leading him inside and up to the counter. They ordered and David waited for their coffee as Patrick snagged a table for them in the corner. The cafe was cute, homey and David could see a young Patrick doing his homework here. Or a slightly older Patrick coming here to study for college exams while visiting home. This was the kind of place he could see Patrick coming to when he’s older, ordering a coffee and sitting by the large windows to go through ledgers. 

There was a fleeting thought of moving out of Schitt’s Creek, maybe opening a second location somewhere closer to Patrick’s family, somewhere in the middle of their two families. And as David picked up their drinks, it was a stronger thought and in a split second, he realized he wanted it. At some point he wanted it. His mind instantly put a 5-7 year time stamp on the thought and he wanted to bring it up to Patrick. 

He sat down, handing Patrick his drink and was about to bring it up when an older gentleman came by and slapped a broad hand down on Patrick’s shoulder. 

“Patrick!” The man bellowed and David raised his eyebrows at the situation. 

“Mr. Schaffer! It’s good to see you!” Patrick held his hand out and the older man shook it. 

“I saw your mother at the store the other day and she said you were coming home,” The man smiled. “Almost didn’t believe her. It’s been awhile.”

“It has,” Patrick turned to David, smiling at him. “Mr. Schaffer, this is my fiance, David Rose.”

David stood up, holding his hand up and when the man shook his hand, he held it for a beat. 

“You’re taking care of my boy, right?” Mr. Schaffer asked with a smile on his face. 

“Trying. He makes it hard though,” David responded and he hoped his laugh didn’t sound as forced as it was. 

Mr. Schaffer let go of David’s hand. 

“You know, I saw Rachel about a year ago,” Mr. Schaffer started and David felt his defenses go up, his claws come out at the thought of what he figured was coming next. “I know it’s been a while since I’ve seen the two of you, but you both seem happier now.

“You know, he used to have this wrinkle between his eyebrows. Never really looked happy. But I don’t see that wrinkle and I see some laugh lines. A lot more than there used to be,” Mr. Schaffer was talking to David now and he smiled at him. He turned back to Patrick. “Reach out when you get married, I wanna send a gift. And Patrick, the next time you’re here, give me some warning. I would love to have you host--”

And before he could say it, it clicked for David. 

The open mic nights. 

“--another open mic night. For old times sake,” The man winked at Patrick.

David looked around, trying to imagine a stage and people huddled around, listening to the talent. He zoned out the rest of the conversation, tuning back in at the  _ ‘it was nice to meet you, David’  _ to throw out a  _ ‘likewise’.  _

Like he could read his mind, Patrick hooked his foot around David’s ankle and pointed to the corner adjacent to them. 

“That little nook is where we used to set up the stage. We used to bring in a bunch of plants to kinda frame the space. We would lower the lights during performances and just have string lights over the stage. For lack of a better word, it was romantic,” Patrick shrugged. 

David bit his lip, imagining it all. It all seemed like a heightened version of the open mic night they held the first time. If David had actually helped prepare everything, instead of making Patrick do all the work after running around collecting their permits. 

“If you had to get up and perform a song right now, what would it be?” David asked because he needed to sidetrack from the guilt. Even in the few ones they had held since, he hadn’t been as big of a supporter he should’ve been. 

“Right now?” Patrick asked, staring at him as he took a sip of his tea. 

“Yes. Just imagine the dim lighting, you have your guitar and the cafe is filled with people,” David painted the picture for him. 

“It’d be a song for you,” Patrick smiled softly, still thinking about his answer.

“It doesn’t have to be,” David retaliated. 

“It will always be for you,” Patrick looked down. “Especially here. Where I spent a lot of time singing and wishing I had someone I actually wanted to sing to. Loud and proud.”

David’s heart broke for both Patrick and Rachel. And then Patrick was smiling at him, his heart eyes smile. 

“Forever and for always,” Patrick said. David hummed.

“Shania Twain,” David responded and this time Patrick hummed.

“Wanna wake up every morning to your sweet face, always,” Patrick sung quietly, looking away, back into the corner. And David could imagine it too, Patrick up on a stage, lights dim but twinkling. Just a man on stage with a guitar and a heart full of love. 

“How soon can we get married?” David asked, not even joking. He pulled out his phone to google it. 

“Your family would kill us if we eloped,” Patrick responded. 

“We won’t tell them. We’ll still have the wedding, we’ll just already be married,” David volleyed. 

“Wait, you’re serious,” Patrick slid his cup to the side, leaning in towards David. 

“100%,” David reached out a hand, leaving it palm up on the table. Patrick took it, holding on tightly. 

“Where?”

“Here. In this town. Before we go home,” David pulled Patrick’s hand up to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss on it. 

“I don’t want to steal any attention from my parents,” Patrick said. And David knew that this wasn’t a split second decision that he would regret. 

“We won’t tell anyone. Your parents can be there if they’d like. But we won’t tell anyone about it. I just, can’t wait to be married to you,” David felt his bottom lip quiver and he bit back the sob at the thought of being with Patrick until the end of their lives. He was overwhelmed with love and happiness. 

“Where can we get a marriage license?”

*

They settled into the table at Patrick’s aunt’s restaurant, a cute little Italian place she opened with her husband with his mother’s recipes. She had come by to introduce herself and offer them a bottle of wine while they waited for Clint and Marcy. 

Aunt Katie had sat herself next to David, gushing about what a fine young man he was and David was still blushing when she left and Clint and Marcy sat down.

David looked over at Patrick, smiling a tight lipped smile at him, but his eyes were bright and gave him the go ahead, if he wanted to take it. Patrick squeezed David’s elbow, cleared his throat and started talking. 

Marcy instantly started crying, covering her mouth with her hand, which set off David’s tears. 

“We have an appointment with an officiant at town hall tomorrow morning, the license is in the car and we want you two to be there. We’re not telling anyone. We’re not announcing it at the party. And we’re still doing the ceremony in the spring,” Patrick finished. 

Marcy just nodded along, wiping the tears from her face and Clint slapped David on the back. 

“What made you both decide on this?” Clint asked. His eyes were also shining with tears.

Patrick nodded at David.

“I was just tired of not being married to him,” David sniffled, patting at the tears that were streaming down his face. Marcy let out a gasp and apologized,  _ ‘I feel like such a mess.’  _ David laughed because, yeah, he did too. 

“You weren’t like this when Emily and Pete got married,” Patrick said, laughing as he wiped at his own eyes. 

“Oh,” Marcy swatted at Patrick’s arm. “I love your sister and Pete is fine, but their love has never felt like yours.”

“Marcy,” Clint chided. But he looked thrilled, smiling wide and looking between David and Patrick. 

“What! Sometimes I feel like she settled,” And Marcy, with all the joy in her face, winked at David. 

They all laughed, awkward at the comment, but fully trying to get out the emotions from the conversation. When the waiter came by, they apologized for not looking at the menus. David ordered the first thing he saw, finishing all his food and even stealing a bite or two from Patrick. 


	2. Upward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Clint take a walk and our boys elope!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! What happened is I started writing this chapter and then I hit 4,000 words and wasn't even done with the wedding part and I decided to have this chapter be the same length as the first one and add a third chapter to the lineup. So that's what happened!
> 
> 3rd and last chapter to be added before Thursday morning! 
> 
> Also--i did some googling and apparently when you get married at town halls, usually you can't bring your own vows but idc

David was feeling warm when they got in the car to drive home. Aunt Katie had swung by their table with dessert and another bottle of wine, to _ ‘kickstart the anniversary party’ _ . Marcy had just shook her head at her sister, but poured her own glass of wine first, taking a sip before offering David more.

David hadn’t missed the way Patrick and Clint had smiled at each other, shaking their heads as Marcy proposed a toast. 

Now, Patrick was driving them back to the Brewer household, his hand warm and heavy on David’s thigh. 

“Today was really nice,” David said, breaking the calm silence that had settled into the car. 

“It was,” Patrick threw him a glance as he pulled up to a stop sign. 

“Your parents have been really nice,” David said, smiling wide. He reached up, opening the sunroof, blinking his eyes against the breeze that filled the car as Patrick began to drive. 

“We knew they would be,” Patrick responded. 

“They’re really excited for tomorrow morning,” David lined his fingers up with Patrick’s. His fingers were longer, but Patrick’s were thicker. “I’m happy that they’re going to be there.”

“Me too,” Patrick’s response was quiet. “It almost feels like it’ll make up for them being excluded for the past two years.”

“They understand,” David whispered back. 

“Are you sure you don’t want your parents to be there? If we call them now, they can make it here before the appointment with some time to spare,” Patrick offered. 

“It’s fine. They’ve had us for the past two years,” David said, a drunken giggle taking over his body, proud of himself for using the line as a punchline. 

“You’re incomparable,” Patrick sighed into the darkness. 

“Good,” David turned to watch the houses speed by. 

“We should probably tell Stevie though,” Patrick supplied and David nodded along.

“Oh, for sure. I’ll text her now.”

When they got back to the house, Clint was sitting on the porch waiting for them. 

“Patrick, your mom needs your help inside,” Clint said as they approached. “David, there’s still a bit of sunlight left in the evening, I want to show you something.”

David and Patrick both paused on the first step up to the house. Patrick pressed a chaste kiss to David’s cheek before leaving David and Clint alone. 

“It’s a short walk,” Clint reassured him as David followed him back down the walkway. 

“How’re you enjoying the stay so far?” Clint asked him.

“I’m having a really nice time. You and Marcy have been the best hosts,” David replied, twisting at his rings as silence filled the space between them. 

They turned a corner and kept walking. 

“It’s been really nice to see where Patrick grew up. I had a very different childhood,” David said as he chuckled. “Which, I’m sure is glaringly obvious.”

Clint laughed at that, shrugging his shoulders. David pressed his lips together, remembering when Patrick did that same move, two years earlier when David called him out on buying him monthly anniversary gifts just to mess with him. 

“This trip has given me a better idea of what I want our future to look like,” David said, but stopped. Because what he wanted to say was that he wanted a nice house with a big backyard. He wanted someplace that they could have a family, if that’s what Patrick wanted. Where their hypothetical kids would have more opportunities than Schitt’s Creek. 

David wanted to take a kid to hockey practice while Patrick took them to baseball practice. But he couldn’t tell his father-in-law that, not when he hadn’t completely talked to Patrick about it yet. The last time they had had that conversation, David had told Patrick he didn’t want kids and Patrick had just pulled him into his chest and promised that he only wanted what David wanted.

Clint clapped a hand on David’s back, smiling at him like he understood what was going on. And maybe he did. 

They rounded another corner and in front of them was a large playground at the end of the cul-de-sac. 

“When Patrick was three, he broke his arm on this playground,” Clint said, pointing to the top of the larger slide. “He fell off that landing, went right over the side of the slide.”

Clint walked forward, sitting down on one of the swings. David sat in the other one and the structure groaned under their weight. 

“There had been a storm the night before and it was so windy it took down part of our fence in the backyard. So the next afternoon, the neighbor and I were scrambling to fix it. Patrick really wanted to help, but he was so young and we wanted to get something up before it got dark,” Clint took a breath, closing his eyes at the memory. “I tried to bribe him away from the backyard, but he didn’t want any of his toys, didn’t want a snack, screamed bloody murder when Marcy tried to take him in the house.

So I asked her if she could take him to the park. So she did. They walked over and an hour later, the phone rang. When I picked up the phone, one of the people that lived in one of these houses called, saying that Marcy had asked them to call. There had been an accident and I needed to get to the park quick because I needed to take the boy to the hospital,” Clint shook his head at the memory. “I panicked. Got so scared. I hopped in the car immediately, was halfway there when I realized I left Emily home alone. Went back, got her, she was sliding along the back seat because I took off before she could put her seatbelt on.”

Clint was laughing and David joined him. 

“Just imagine a tiny 8 year old sliding around, screaming at me, holding onto a book with one hand,” Clint was laughing harder now. David didn’t know what an 8 year old looked like, but the image was still funny regardless. 

“Got to the park, saw Patrick sitting on the ground, screaming, holding his arm and Marcy was crying next to him. She just looked so overwhelmed. I got out of the car. Scooped him up. Strapped him into his car seat and we drove like crazy to the hospital,” Clint sighed, staring at a spot on the ground. David could picture it, a small kid sitting on the ground crying, his mother looking helpless next to him. “When Patrick got in the car, he turned to Emily and kept crying and screaming and said ‘look at my arm!’ Then she started screaming and crying too. It was so loud

“Every parent will tell you that the second child is so much easier than the first one. You know what to do when injuries happen, you’re much more relaxed. You know what you’re doing,” Clint coughed. “But Emily was always so careful, living life like if anything bad happened, it was all over. So when Patrick came along, we were so overwhelmed, learning how to take care of a child that lived so carefree.

“When I got that call, I freaked out. I was so scared. I didn’t know what happened. All I wanted was for my boy to be okay. And he was. I was able to relax once he got that cast on. That feeling came back when he left for college, but then went away once I realized he knew what he was doing,” Clint looked at David, studying his face in the sunset. “Then he left for Schitt’s Creek and it came back full force. That panic had been sitting in me for two years.”

He cut himself off with a choke, breathing as his eyes watered. David looked away, knowing he himself was also close to tears. 

“For two years, all I could think about was if my boy was okay. We didn’t know anything. All we knew was that he needed to leave. He barely talked to us, only letting us know every other week that he was still alive,” Clint reached out. Placing a hand on David’s shoulder. “Then you invited us for his birthday, and he came out to us and I saw the relief on his face, how his body instantly relaxed when we told him how much we loved him. I saw the look of home on his face when you hugged him that night, and I knew. I knew he was going to be okay.

“And for the first time in two years, I was able to breathe properly. He was okay,” Clint pressed his palms into his eyes. David himself pulled his sleeves over his knuckles and brushed away the tears. “Thank you, David.”

David shook his head, the tears flowing freely now.

“Thank you for accepting him,” Was al David could croak out. 

They sat there for another five minutes, just watching the sun set, composing themselves. Then Clint was laughing again.

“Patrick hated the cast. He was too young to really understand what was going on, but we told him we could write on it, put stickers on it. So he asked Emily to draw a rocket on it. Which she did. But even as an 8 year old, drawing was never something she was gonna excel in,” Clint was laughing even harder. “You can imagine what a poorly drawn rocket looked like. We tried to fix it, but he didn’t let us, since his sister drew it. We were so concerned the authorities were gonna be called on us.”

They laughed the whole way back. 

When they walked back in the door, Patrick and Marcy were sitting and waiting in the living room, flipping through old photo albums. When they looked up, Patrick’s brow furrowed with concern at the red, blotchy faces of both his dad and David. He got up, rushed to David, and pulled him into a hug. 

“What happened?” Patrick said as he pulled back, looking between the two. 

“Nothing! Can’t a man have a good cry with his new son?” Clint said, winking at David. 

David laughed, pulling Patrick into his side. 

“Those look like photo albums that I need to see!” David exclaimed as he pressed a kiss to Patrick’s cheek, leaving him standing as he rushed to sit next to Marcy. 

Marcy pressed an album into his lap, a large picture of a swaddled, purple baby mid scream took up the entire page.

“Oh, my god,” David stuttered as he covered his mouth with his hands. “You were so purple.”

“He was a crier,” Marcy said, running a hand along the edge of the page. She flipped through the pages slowly, watching David’s face. “For the first nine months, it was like he never stopped crying.”

Patrick scoffed from where he was sitting next to David. 

David gasped when they got to the pictures from Patrick’s 1st birthday. Patrick with his head of curly blonde hair sitting in front of a cake shaped like a teddy bear, Patrick with his hands in the cake, Patrick with cake smeared all over his face with Marcy and Clint squatting down on each side of him. A picture of him feeding his sister a handful of cake. Marcy told him about the day, Patrick’s first word (kitty) and how he was an early walker.

“Oh my God,” David whispered as he turned the page, Patrick smiling brightly up at him. His hair was tinted more red than the previous pages and he was holding a plastic wiffleball bat in one hand, the other hand gripping the holes of the wiffleball. Baby Patrick was wearing a Blue Jays shirt and David marveled at the fact that they came in sizes that small. 

David could feel Patrick’s chin on his shoulder, so he tilted his head back, knocking it gently against Patrick’s.

Marcy walked him through Patrick’s life, showing him all the best pictures of Patrick and Emily, the embarrassing photos of Patrick in highschool and the few of him in college. When they were done, Patrick was leaning against him, yawning. Clint had already gone up to bed. 

David shrugged Patrick off gently, standing to collect the tea cups from the coffee table. He followed Marcy into the kitchen, placing the mugs in the sink. 

He bid her goodnight, turning to leave and collect Patrick, but he stopped, picking up a piece of paper on the counter. 

“What’s this?” David asked, holding up the paper.

“Oh, those are our wedding vows. We wanted to use the same ones for our renewal on Saturday, so I scanned them and emailed them to the officiant,” Marcy said as she came up next to him. 

David read over the page, feeling his heart swell. 

“Um, can I keep this?” David asked.

“Of course.”

David folded the sheet and pocketed it before coming up behind Patrick, leaning down and over the back of the couch, draping his arms over Patrick’s shoulders. Patrick hummed, content as he leaned back. 

“Come to bed, honey,” David whispered as he mouthed at the side of Patrick’s head, placing sloppy kisses anywhere he could reach. “I’m too sluggish to fuck, but I do wanna suck your cock before bed.’’

“Okay, let’s go,” Patrick said as he got up, rounded the couch and pulled David back through the dining room and up the stairs. 

When they got upstairs and the bedroom door was closed, David pulled Patrick into a soft kiss. 

“Let’s get ready for bed first. You have your sleepy eyes and I have a feeling it’s gonna be a cum and done type of night for you,” David whispered in the space between them, feeling Patrick’s shoulders shake with laughter underneath David’s hands. 

“Don’t judge me,” Patrick laughed out as he gently pushed David away before grabbing his hips and pulling David back in. 

David just shook his head, sliding his hands up Patrick’s jaw and over his cheeks. 

“I could never,” David said before pulling Patick’s face up to his, kissing him sweetly and slowly. 

Patrick walked David to the bed, holding onto him tightly as David’s knees hit the edge and he lowered them onto the mattress. David opened his eyes as Patrick drew back, disconnecting their lips. They both drew in haggard breaths before Patrick was kissing him again and out of David’s peripheral, all he saw was blue.

His thoughts swam as he kissed his soon to be husband. He was kissing Patrick in his childhood bedroom. The room that he grew up in, that he decorated to match his favorite baseball team. There were countless baseball and academic trophies strewn about that he’s sure Marcy put up once Patrick moved out, taking those momentos out of storage to display them proudly. 

He could see a young Patrick coming home from school, throwing his backpack onto the floor as he turned on the radio, starting his homework at his desk. This is the same bedroom where Patrick would lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering what was wrong, why nothing felt right. It’s where he had his first inkling, the first desire to hold a boy. 

It was almost as if Patrick could read David’s mind and the kiss turned urgent, like he had to bury the painful memories in this room with new ones. And maybe he could read David’s mind and maybe they could replace those memories. Maybe adult Patrick needed to put his stamp of approval on the room, just to show young Patrick that it was okay, those years of feeling lost were worth it because they led him to this moment. 

“How thick are the walls?” David gasped out, breaking the silence. 

“Thick enough,” Patrick replied. 

And then David rolled them over, pulling off his sweater once he was straddling Patrick’s hips. 

“Fuck me, Patrick,” David whispered, holding his body still.

“Home run in Rogers Centre?” Patrick parroted David’s words back to him and David felt the blush creeping over his face. 

“I was hoping you were asleep for that,” David said, smiling as Patrick laughed underneath him. 

“God, I love you,” Patrick said, running his hands up and down David’s thighs. 

“I love you too.”

They fucked quietly, rivaling their sex in Ray’s house. Their movements slow and calculated as they kissed, only breaking contact to moan and gasp as Patrick moved in David. 

Afterwards, David curled his body around Patrick’s reveling in the feeling of their skin pressed against each other. 

“In less than 12 hours, we’ll be married,” Patrick said as he pressed a kiss to David’s forehead. 

“Fucking finally.”

*

David woke up before Patrick, before their alarms and one glance at his phone told him it was way too fucking early, but it was their wedding day. He slid out of bed, pulled their suits for the renewal out of the closet and hung them on the back of the door. He smoothed his hands over the material with a small smile tucked into his cheek. 

He showered and when he came back to the room, Patrick was up, sitting in bed with a mug in his hand and one on the nightstand. 

“I just realized that we tempted fate last night, David,” Patrick said. That smirk was back, soft and teasing on Patrick’s face, just asking for David to play into it. And David would, for the rest of his life. Gladly. 

“Mhm and what cardinal sin did we break?” David volleyed back.

“We spent the night before the wedding together.”

“Hmm,” David pondered as he placed one knee on the bed. He sat down in front of Patrick, accepting the mug from him. “Was worth it.”

The morning was a flurry of activity, everyone rushing to get ready and at 8:50 am, David and Patrick were standing at the counter at Town Hall, checking in and gathering the paperwork they needed. The woman sitting on the other side walked them through everything. 

“What’s the vows situation?” The woman asked. “Are you providing vows or using our vows?”

Patrick turned to David, eyes wide and David just smiled at him. 

“I have vows for us to read,” David said as he pulled the paper out of his pocket. 

And then they were sitting down, next to Marcy and Clint, waiting for their names to be called. 

“Can I look at these surprise vows?” Patrick asked, running his fingers over the stripes in David’s suit. 

“Nope,” David nudged Patrick’s arm away. 

“You look beautiful in this suit,” Patrick whispered, stretching his arm along the back of David’s chair. David blushed, dipping his head low before giving Patrick his signature smirk. 

“This is actually the suit I wore when I met with the lawyer about the Blouse Barn. When Wendy gave me the seed money for Rose Apothecary,” David chuckled. “When I brought it for the weekend, didn’t think it was going to go full circle.”

Patrick opened his mouth to respond but then a woman was calling their name, and the four of them got up and followed her. 

David had assumed that a town hall wedding would be quick, lacking intimacy and he’d get through it without tears, but once Patrick was standing in front of him, holding onto his hands, David felt just like he had when he turned to find Patrick on one knee. He could feel the joy bubbling up as the officiant began, trying to burst out of him with a laugh, but he kept it in. 

Instead, he cried. He tried to listen to the officiant. He really did, but Patrick’s eyes were doing that one thing that turns him into jelly. The thing where Patrick looks at him like he’s the only thing that matters, the only person that Patrick wants, the person that Patrick needs. It mirrors how David feels inside, the feelings that he hasn’t yet learned how to voice. 

It was just settling into David’s chest just how much this means, when Patrick squeezed David’s hands and  _ God, he was going to have this for the rest of his life.  _

Then the officiant was asking for the vows and David let go of Patrick’s hands to pull the paper out of his pocket. He unfolded it quickly, taking Patrick’s left hand with his own. 

He began to read:

 

“ _ To you, I promise to cherish and share in everything.  _

_ I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other.  _

_ I promise to be here to wipe away tears of sadness, to elicit tears of joy, and to cry out to everyone who will listen how much I love you.  _

_ I promise to always support you and love you, in sickness and in health. Through life and death. I will be here, for you. _

_ I vow to kiss you everyday, as we do today - with love and devotion. That each kiss we share from now, will be a remembrance of our wedding vows, our joy, and everything we share. _

_ As your husband, I am yours, and I tenderly deliver you my heart.” _

 

When David looked up, Patrick was looking at him so wholeheartedly, with tears filling his eyes and David was so in love. Patrick blinked and David let go of his hand to rub at the tear gently. He handed the paper to Patrick and when Patrick read the vows back to David, he couldn’t help but think of the years and loneliness from before Schitt’s Creek and even the first year after the move and it was all  _ so worth it.  _

Worth it just to feel the love emanating off of Patrick. A love that he realized, he deserved.

And just as fast as the ceremony started, the officiant was pronouncing them husbands and Patrick’s hands were on his waist, pulling him closer and kissing him so sweetly, David gasped into the kiss. His fingers were at the edge of Patrick’s hair, gently wrapping around the nape of his neck.

This kiss was like any other they’d had, but now they were husbands. 

Marcy and Clint clapped loudly and they could hear Stevie cheering from David’s phone. Marcy had held the phone up during the ceremony, facetiming Stevie in while Clint recorded on Patrick’s. 

Marcy took pictures of them outside of Town Hall, taking more than were necessary. A passerby took a picture of the four of them, everyone’s face still slightly blotchy from the tears.

When they got back to the house, Marcy and Clint changed quickly and excused themselves, saying they had some errands to run and that they’d be back for lunch. When the front door closed behind them, Patrick smiled at David. 

He walked over to the liquor cabinet, pulling down a bottle of his parents good whiskey. He poured two fingers worth into two glasses, blowing dust out of them before wiping them down and pouring. 

He held one out to his husband, smiling as he clinked their glasses together. 

“To our marriage,” Patrick said and David wasn’t ready for that assault on his emotions. 

They each took a sip, keeping eye contact over the rim of their glasses. 

“I think next is a first dance?” Patrick asked as he pulled out his phone. He placed the cup down, stalking through the living room to plug his phone into the speakers next to the tv. “What song do you want?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of it yet,” David shook his head, biting his lip as his husband looked up at him. Patrick raised an eyebrow at him, calling him out on his bluff. “Um. Anything Shania or Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves.”

Patrick just smiled at him as he began tapping at his phone screen. David put his glass down, joining Patrick at the console. He propped his phone on a shelf, hoping that the angle was good and pressing record. 

“Butterflies it is.”

The song started and Patrick closed the gap between them, holding out his hand. 

“Dance with me, husband?” The words fell off of Patrick’s tongue so smoothly, like they had always belonged there and instead of answering, David took Patrick’s hand, leading him to where they would have more space, still mindful of the camera. 

David and Patrick swayed to the music, not saying anything, just burrowing themselves into each other and kissing softly. 

“You look so handsome in your dark blue suit,” David said as he ran his hands over Patrick’s shoulders. “I think I like you best in dark blue.”

Patrick stepped away from David, letting go of a hand, raising the other to twirl David under as the chorus kicked in again. When David was facing him again, David stopped and brought up a hand to kiss at Patrick’s ring finger.

“I need to get you a ring,” David spoke, his lips running against Patrick’s finger. 

“Later. Let’s finish the dance first,” Patrick said as he pulled David back in. 

“I’m really happy,” David said with his chin on Patrick’s shoulder. 

“I am too, David.”

And then Patrick was squeezing him harder and David memorized the moment.

When the song ended, David locked his phone, leaving it in the living room when he pulled Patrick towards the stairs, stopping to grab their cups of whiskey from the counter. 

*

“We got married,” David said pulling Patrick in closer to him, feeling Patrick’s bare skin line up with him from head to toe. 

“We did,” Patrick responded, raking his fingers through David’s chest hair. 

“I just fucked you, my husband, in your childhood bed,” David stated. Finally, he let the joy out in a laugh, so delighted at the situation. 

“I would prefer to say we made sweet, slow love in my childhood bed to celebrate our marriage, but yeah,” Patrick teased, pinching at one of David’s nipples. 

“I fucking love you,” David said, pushing at Patrick’s hip and rolling him over. He pulled at the sheet that got trapped between them. He kissed him, drawing out a moan from Patrick. 

Patrick tilted his head back to break the kiss. 

“I love you too.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find me on tumblr [here as samwhambam](https://samwhambam.tumblr.com/) ! Come scream about david and patrick with me.


	3. Onward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! The third and final installment! I wanted to have this finished last week, but I didn't have time to finish it before I went on my mini vacay. But it's here! 
> 
> Enjoy!!

When Marcy and Clint came back, David and Patrick were already dressed, sitting on the couch with David’s head in Patrick’s lap and “A League of Their Own” playing on the TV. They announced their arrival with multiple pizza boxes and when Patrick shook David awake, David glared at him, his frown twitching up into a smile when he looked over the back of the couch, seeing the pizza on the table. 

Patrick was struck by how everything had changed in a split second that morning, and yet it was the same as it had been the day before. Husbands or not, David would always hate being woken up and would always smile at the thought of pizza. 

David helped Marcy set the table, making multiple comments about how the pizza smelled delicious and he was impressed by the variety. When he sat down, Patrick just squeezed his arm, amused. 

“Well, we figured, why not go all out for your reception?” Marcy shrugged as she opened the box closest to her. 

David turned to Patrick with a bitten back smile. It was too much. Way too much. Had his family accepted Patrick as readily as the Brewers had accepted him? He thinks so, but he was too overwhelmed with all the love to think clearly. 

Patrick broke him from his daydreams as he placed slices of pizza on David’s plate. When David made eye contact, Patrick just winked at him and David grinned at the half wink. Patrick was getting better at it, that suave wink still far from perfect, and David still found it too cute for words.

Marcy went over the plans for the day as they ate. She suggested that David go with Patrick to pick up Emily and Pete, and Clint would go with her to run her errands, but David shook his head. 

“No, it’s fine. I said I would go with you,” David insisted. 

“You just got married. Spend the day together,” Marcy responded and David looked to Patrick. 

“You two go. Have fun! I get to spend the rest of my life with him, he can go shopping with you for a few hours,” Patrick said. He took a bite of his pizza and David nudged his foot under the table, sharing sweet smiles. 

“Yeah, I can’t spend too much time with him now. It’s too soon for me to get tired of him,” David said as he smirked at Patrick and it was settled. 

Patrick left to go his Dad to pick up his sister, kissing David sweetly at the door. 

“I’ll be back, husband,” He whispered against David’s lips and David had to take a step back, his eyes rolling back as the happiness prickled at his skin. 

“Okay, you can’t say that to me unless you plan on following through,” David whispered back, waving a circle between their lower halves. 

“Oh, am I leaving my husband in his time of need?” Patrick asked as he pulled David into him, kissing him slowly. Their lips parted. “Are you going to be alright? My new, ink still drying husband.”

“Your dad is waiting for you in the car,” David pulled out of the kiss, wrapping his arms around Patrick’s neck. 

“You’re right. I gotta go, husband,” Patrick stepped back, but David just tightened his hold on Patrick. 

“Kiss me again, husband,” David pleaded. 

They kissed and David pulled away when he heard Marcy gathering her purse and keys. 

“I’ll see you in a bit, husband,” David whispered as he pushed Patrick lightly out the door. 

“I love you!” Patrick called from halfway down the walkway.

“I love you too,” David called back as he leaned against the doorframe, watching his husband jog to the car already pulled out on the street. 

“You ready, sweetie?” Marcy asked as she came up behind him. 

“Yes!” David replied. 

*

“Oh, that’s brave,” David muttered as a woman walked by in camo. He shook his head in disgust before dipping his next bite of pretzel in cheese sauce. 

He had been put in charge of watching Marcy’s bags while she went to the restroom. They were tucked in between his feet and when someone stopped by, opening their mouth to speak with a flirtatious look in their eyes, David had glared and shook his head and muttered a ‘ _ keep it moving’  _ around a mouthful of pretzel. 

They had already made it through most of their errands and as much as David enjoyed Marcy’s company, the constant push and pull from walking in a swarm of people had worn David down. He had been sneezed on by multiple children and he could still hear phantom screaming. He closed his eyes and took a second to regroup. He felt his phone buzz once in his pocket.

_ Their plane was delayed but we’re already at the airport. Older siblings are the worst.  _

David just rolled his eyes. Even with hours between them his husband was insufferable. 

**Careful. I will tell Emily you said that and I will convince her to gang up on you**

The text was sent and then read immediately, the three dots popped up and David looked for Marcy. Hoping to just have a few more minutes of this. 

_ I’m not convinced she’s going to fall in love with you, so you can try, but I think I’ll still come out on top.  _

**Patrick, I haven’t met a Brewer that doesn’t love me**

_ True.  _

_ Just don’t take it personally if she’s quiet and doesn’t really talk to you.  _

**Your mom already gave me the rundown of her personality and i think we’ll be fine**

**Plus, the mall has completely drained me and i think we can bond just sitting in silence**

_ My poor husband. _

David looked up and could see Marcy walking back through the food court. He sent back just a heart, downed the rest of his pretzel and followed her out. 

*

When they finally arrived back at the house, Marcy excused herself upstairs for a nap and David had the house to himself. A quick look at his phone told him that Patrick would probably still be another hour and a half. He googled how to use the fancy coffee maker and an embarrassing amount of time later, he was holding a shitty cup of iced coffee and taking a slow lap around the living room. 

The walls were decorated with framed photos, of all different sizes, from different points in the Brewer family history. David focused on the one from Marcy and Clint’s wedding day. Patrick had inherited most of Marcy’s facial features. Between the round face, brown eyes and a soft smile, no one could argue it. He pulled up one of the photos that Patrick had sent him earlier, one of the ones that Marcy took of them outside, right after the ceremony. 

In the picture they were smiling at the camera, the photo taken right before showed them laughing at something. But this one, they were calm and smiling at the camera, with real smiles on both of their faces. 

He held his phone up, lining up Patrick’s face with his mother’s and it warmed his heart to see the same expression in both of their faces. With one hand, he struggled to get a photo of the one on the wall, taking multiple with his phone tilted in different ways, just to get one with the least amount of glare on the glass. 

David sat down, turning on the TV, tilting his head back with glee at the House Hunters marathon. He settled in, sipping at his coffee and before he knew it, a few episodes had passed and the cup was empty. He contemplated another cup, but when he made the decision to get up, the front door opened and he sat back down.

He couldn’t help but slouch, trying to keep himself out of view. He heard unfamiliar voices mumbling about going upstairs to freshen up and then footsteps were approaching the couch. David looked up in time to see Patrick peeking over the back of the couch at him.

“Are you hiding?” Patrick whispered and David shook his head quickly, the movement shifting into a nod.

“Of course,” David admitted because he couldn’t lie to Patrick, especially not in his childhood home. 

“Come on,” Patrick jerked his head, moving to the kitchen. “My dad is going to start up the barbeque. Help me get stuff ready.”

*

David was sitting in the backyard in a chair that was much more comfortable than he had anticipated, close enough to the grill that he could watch Clint turn the food while talking to Pete, but far enough that he was hoping that the smoke wouldn’t bury too far into his clothes. His drink was empty and Patrick got up from next to him, dislodging the cup from his grip. 

He could hear Emily and Marcy talking through the screen door and he smiled when Patrick’s voice joined them. His surprise party had completely flipped the switch in his relationship with his parents and David was so grateful to be able to watch Patrick mend the space between them. 

Patrick’s first call home after the party had lasted for hours. David had sat at one end of the couch, his back against the armrest with his toes tucked under one of Patrick’s thighs, reading a book as they talked. Patrick had put the phone on speaker and David tuned in every once in a while to keep up, adding in little comments where he deemed necessary. 

David still remembers the way Patrick had turned his head to look at David, rolling it along the back of the couch. His smile was wide but lazy, eyes heavy and he just looked  _ content,  _ like he could sit there for hours, just talking to his parents and poking at David’s legs. And he did. 

The sound of the screen door opening and closing broke David from his train of thought. His cup was back in front of him, but when he looked up, it was Emily holding it out to him. 

“Thank you,” David said as he accepted the drink. 

Emily sat down in what was previously Patrick’s chair, placing her own drink on the table between them. David watched her push her short, curly hair out of her face and then she turned to him, fixing him with those Brewer eyes. 

“I think congratulations are in order?” Emily questioned. 

David furrowed his brows at her, his mind whirled and he wondered who told her. He’d bet good money is was Marcy.

“I uh, don’t know what you’re alluding to,” David shook his head, eyes focused on the ceiling. 

“Patrick may have said something to my mom and didn’t realize that I was also in the room,” Emily responded, picking up her drink. She held it up. “Congratulations on the nuptials.”

David raised his own glass. 

“Cheers to your marriage,” Emily tapped her glass against David’s and they both drank.

“How was your trip?” David asked. They had talked a handful of times but Patrick was always there to guide the conversation. 

“Fine. Plane was delayed, but wasn’t too bad. There was an adorable baby sitting in front of me. So, they were entertaining.” Emily laughed as David’s face morphed into disgust. 

“No, thank you,” David shook his head. 

“So, I’m taking that kids aren’t on the horizon?” Emily smirked as she took another sip. “No little babies in black and white running around?”

“Wow, does teasing me run in the Brewer family?” David rounded back.

“It runs on our mother’s side,” She responded and it definitely ran in the family. 

“Patrick and I have talked about it and I think it’s in our future,” David twisted the ring on his index finger. “Kids.”

Emily nodded in understanding. 

“Us too,” Emily whispered.

They sat in silence, Emily watching her Dad and husband grill. The silence grew and just as David was beginning to panic, Emily leaned over. 

“Patrick said that you were worried about meeting me and I had to make an effort to be more approachable,” Emily whispered. “But you wanna know a secret?”

“Hm?” David sipped from his cup, feeling bowled over by the first part.

“I’ve had a very favorable opinion about you since I found out,” Emily said, leaning back into her chair. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rachel or her brother, so you had a leg up from the start. You don’t have to be nervous around me or the family in general.”

David tried to ignore the little ball of happiness forming in the hollow of his chest. 

“Seems like not many of you liked her,” David said because he had to know. Even now, Patrick never said anything negative about Rachel, but the Brewers all seemed to be less than enthusiastic. 

Emily just sighed, played with the hair tie around her wrist.

“We like her, but you can only handle seeing Patrick go through so many breakups before you start to resent the other person. I knew something wasn’t right between them, I just always figured it was her and not something so much bigger than their relationship. Ya know?” Emily explained with the same face that Patrick gave him whenever he was contemplating his words.

“I understand.”

“I’m so happy for Patrick. He’s living his authentic life and he’s so much happier. It’s obvious. We love anyone who makes him feel safe enough to be who he was meant to be.”

And David could fight the tears this time. He just wiped them away before anyone, besides Emily, could see them. 

After dinner, David was back in that same lawn chair, reclined further back than earlier, with a full stomach. Patrick was back next to him, with his chair skewed to the side and his feet in David’s lap. Patrick was in shorts with sandals that had been kicked off and David poked at his ankles, drumming a pattern on the soft skin. He couldn’t quite tell if he had actually fallen asleep yet or not. Patrick’s sunglasses were just dark enough that he honestly couldn’t tell. 

Clint had set up the fire pit as the sun began to set and Emily was on the other side, reading a book that David didn’t recognize. Pete was still talking sports with Clint, this time baseball, and David could easily imagine his Dad slipping into the conversation, winning them over with his similar tastes in sports. 

Alexis would obviously click with Marcy and David isn’t sure where his Mom would fit in the picture painted right now. Probably with a cocktail, sitting next to Emily, both reading and then taking breaks to talk about Moira’s travels. Or maybe she’d be with Marcy and Alexis, sharing a bottle of red wine. He could see Patrick’s Aunt Katie sitting with them, just chatting with drunken laughs. His mom had grown remarkably since moving to Schitt’s Creek and he could see her now enjoying her time with the Brewers. 

He bit back a smile at the picture of their families mingling, but then Patrick’s leg twitched against his and he couldn’t hold back the smile anymore.  

David spent years in a large, bustling city. Where he could be anyone he wanted, he could eat anything he wanted. He had all the money in the world to do whatever he wanted. And he was the happiest he had ever been, right here. 

In a backyard in the suburbs, with his husband’s dirty feet on his lap surrounded by his in-laws with his own family less than a click away. 

And he wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

*

“...hang out here for a bit longer. I’ll put out the fire before we go upstairs.”

David slowly woke up to Patrick talking. There was a soft  _ “clang”  _ as the screen door closed and David stretched as he looked around. They were alone. 

“I have to say David, I’m pleasantly surprised we’ve spent so long outdoors,” Patrick teased as David closed his eyes again. 

“Emily whipped out a huge citronella candle and it’s 100% because of that,” David retorted, catching Patrick’s ankle as he kicked at David’s knee.

They sat in comfortable silence, both watching the flames crackle.

“Have you ever thought about moving back?” David asked. He could feel Patrick watching him, even as he kept a steady watch on the fire. He couldn’t look Patrick in the eyes for this conversation. 

“I’ve thought about how that life would look,” Patrick finally responded. “Things are still a little weird around my family, mostly when you’re not there to help break the ice. It might be nice to have more opportunities to rebuild that relationship.”

“But?” David prodded.

“I don’t know. I haven’t let myself think about it too much. I figured all of that future talk was something we had to do together,” Patrick supplied and David finally turned to look at him. 

His partner for life. 

“I think that if we move, we should move closer to here. Like, if we were to open a second location, we could probably find some small town in need of a general but specific store, just closer to here,” David proposed with a wave of his hands. 

“So, you’ve obviously given this more thought than I have,” Patrick teased and how dare he be so cute. 

David just shrugged.

“All I’m going to say, is that your parents would be much more helpful than mine, if we decide to have a family,” David supplied and it was true. “I don’t know how much longer any of them are going to stay in Schitt’s Creek, and being here and getting to know your family further, it just makes sense to me.”

Patrick’s face morphed into something soft and patient. Like he did all those months past when David tried to lie about his past experiences with jello shots. 

“I want us to grow closer and finally close the gap between us and your parents. And I know that a lot can happen between now and then, but it’s something for us to think about and visit when it’s time,” David continued. He reached out, pinching at Patrick’s shoulder. He smoothed the fabric down. 

“So when did you want to do this?” Patrick asked.

“I was thinking it would get incorporated into our five year plan, but you are the numbers guy,” David teased and Patrick shook his head, laughing. 

*

A stressful morning later and David was sitting between Patrick and Emily in the front pew in a church and that was the last place he’d ever thought he’d be. And that was before he factored in the fact that he was there to watch his in-laws renew their vows. 

Weddings were hit or miss for David. Some brought him to tears, all the others he usually arrived to high, just to prevent the rush of emotions that came with the real life romcom happening in front of his eyes. 

But today he was all ears, watching Marcy and Clint stand before them. Patrick’s hands were gripped tightly in David’s own and when they began their vows, he felt Patrick shift closer to him. Patrick propped his chin on the edge of David’s shoulder and when he turned his head to look at his husband, Patrick was looking at him with wide eyes. 

“David,” He whispered and David’s throat clenched around the words he wanted to say in response. 

He just pressed a kiss to Patrick’s nose and when Patrick blinked, the tears forming were squeezed out. Patrick kissed David’s shoulder and turned back to his parents, keeping his head on David and David wished he wasn’t wearing a suit jacket so he could feel the warmth of Patrick against him. 

After the ceremony was done and the pictures were taken, Patrick pulled David back behind the church into a small courtyard where he pushed him down onto a bench. He stepped into the space between his legs, sliding his hands along David’s jaw. 

“You’re incredible,” Patrick whispered in the space between them. “God, you did that. I didn’t realize yesterday, that it was their original vows. I had no idea. And now that I know?”

David just pulled Patrick closer, wrapping his arms around Patrick’s waist. He hugged him tight before loosening his hold just enough to look up at Patrick comfortably. 

“You do so much for the people you love, even if they’re not going to know,” Patrick was talking again and his voice was rough and it tore David apart. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this. Three years ago I was miserable. At a low I wasn’t sure I could really pull myself out of. And now I’m on the other side in a space where I can actually be me and you support me and do so much for me and I love you and appreciate you.”

Then Patrick pulled at David, gently meeting him halfway in a kiss. It was sloppy and emotional with their tears mingling. David stood up, hugging his husband close as Patrick gasped into the kiss, deepening it as David’s body pressed fully against his. 

But David pulled away and Patrick chased his lips, frustrated when David turned his head away. 

“I’ve done a lot of bad and kinky things in my past, but at this point in my life, I don’t know how I feel about necking behind a church,” David explained with a soft smirk, just a hint of teasing, just the way Patrick liked him.

“I understand.”

*

“David! Patrick! Look at you both! Such handsome boys!” Aunt Katie pulled them both into a hug, squeezing them each with one arm. 

The property was full of people, most of them in the backyard, but it was still a touch too loud in the house. They had just made it to the bottom of the stairs after changing, when the first guests arrived and they hadn’t had a chance to move any further into the house since. Everyone who got there had accosted them, wanting to meet David, and keeping them from actually joining  the party. 

She held them at arm's length before bringing her hands back into her chest. “I hope we have more time to talk later. I have to go make sure that Sherry is opening the good bottle of wine and not the cheap shit because the cheap shit is for when you’re already drunk.”

“God, I love that woman,” Emily said from behind them. 

Aunt Katie had already walked away, but she stopped when she heard Emily and came back, pulling her into her own hug. She pulled Emily away, saying something about wine and Patrick shrugged, leading David along. 

They were stopped before the kitchen by an uncle asking about the store and logistics of the business and David felt himself flounder as Patrick dug into the nitty gritty and  _ oh god,  _ David just within the last nine months started being able to follow along when it was just Patrick and him talking business. And their conversation had just taken a turn into a tax thing. 

David craned his neck, looking into the kitchen, seeing Emily, Aunt Katie, Marcy and a few other people in the kitchen preparing food and chopping weirdly shaped vegetables seemed less painful than the current conversation. 

He squeezed Patrick’s hand before murmuring a “be right back”, softly enough that he didn’t interrupt their conversation but loud enough that he wasn’t just walking away. In the kitchen, Marcy ladened David and Emily’s arms with plates full of appetizers and sent them outside to arrange one of the tables. 

Once outside, David was swarmed with cousins who were scooping up food before they put it down on the table. 

“Our family are big eaters,” Emily explained. 

“So, David, how’s the wedding planning going?” Someone asked him as he rearranged the plates Emily put down. He turned to face the voice and he recognized her from earlier, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember her name. Karen? Michelle? Mary? 

He looked over quickly at Emily who was passing them. She stopped and reached behind him to pick up a napkin, whispering  _ ‘Beverly’  _ as she leaned over.

“It’s stressful, but it’s coming along. Thank you for asking, Beverly,” David responded. She shined at him remembering her name and he made a mental note to thank Emily later. 

“Bev, I heard that Emma started walking recently?” Emily chimed in. 

Beverly went into stories about how her and her husband had to further baby proof the house after Emma used a tablecloth to stand up and sent plates flying.

“Emma looks so cute in her purple dress and hair bow. And it’s so adorable that her and Andrew are matching,” Emily said and David took the opportunity to look around the backyard for a daughter and dad combo wearing purple. When he found them, he committed them to memory for later. 

Patrick eventually found him standing and talking to Pete.

“There you are,” Patrick said as he sidled up next to David. 

“Pete and I are talking about how large your family is,” David said in greeting and Pete laughed next to him. 

“I told him about how I called your Aunt Katie Aunt Meredith the first day I met her and how she is still upset about it,” Pete shook his head and Patrick just laughed. 

“She still tells me about it,” Patrick agreed. 

Pete shook his empty beer bottle. 

“Gonna go get a refill,” Pete said and he turned to walk away. He was halfway to the sliding glass door before he was pulled to the side. 

“I’m sorry I disappeared,” Patrick said as he wrapped his arms around David’s waist. 

“It’s okay. Emily helped me navigate my way around the family. I think we owe her a gift basket from the store,” David suggested and Patrick blinked up at him.

“She’s actually been starting conversations with you?” Patrick asked, tilting his head. 

“Yeah. We had a great talk earlier with Sarah. She came out to us and Sarah told me I was brave for meeting the whole family at once. Apparently she almost brought her girlfriend today,” David walked his fingers up Patrick’s chest. “She said she thought it would be too much for her.”

David smoothed his hands over Patrick’s shoulders. 

“You are doing very well,” Patrick murmured, his eyes moving between David’s eyes and lips. 

“I’m very tired,” David responded, only able to keep a  _ ‘take pity on me’  _ face for a second before he broke out into a smile. 

“Do you think you’re going to make it through the rest of the party?” Patrick asked, stepping in closer to press a kiss to David’s lips. 

“Definitely not,” David smiled into the kiss. 

*

After lunch, David was standing in the yard, a drink in one hand, his phone pressed to his ear, talking Stevie through what he wanted her to do about product that had arrived to the store damaged. When he hung up, he noticed Emma standing close to him, her hands cupped over something, but he couldn’t see past her chubby fingers. She was looking around, her bow had slipped and was on her forehead. 

She looked at him and walked over. 

“Bug!” She opened her hands and there was a fuzzy caterpillar on her palm. 

“Okay, how about we put that down?” David pocketed his phone, placed a hand on her shoulder and let her to the garden. 

She threw it on the floor and picked up a stick instead. 

“Okay. Put that down too,” David gently nudged the stick out of her hand and fixed her headband, pushing the hair out of his face. 

“Aunt Marcy is about to cut the cake. So, let’s go wash your hands,” David suggested. He led her back to the house. He noticed Beverly nearby and turned Emma in her direction.

Beverly looked up as they approached. 

“Emma was playing with bugs, so I think she should wash her hands before Marcy starts passing out cake?” David said. Emma looked up at him, tilting her head at him. 

“Okay, thanks for offering David,” Beverly smiled and David just stared back at her. He noticed Patrick sitting next to her and when he looked towards him with wide eyes, Patrick just smiled back.

“You can do this, David,” Patrick offered and David felt betrayed by his husband on the first day of their marriage. 

“Okay, let’s go,” David led her away but she stopped. 

“Up!” She lifted her arms, grabbing at David’s sweater. 

David panicked, removing her hands from his sweater. He refused to look at the smudges of dirt that she had kneaded into the fabric as he reached down, grabbing her under the armpits and lifting her onto his hip, like he had seen in the movies. 

“Da’id” She spoke as they walked into the house.

“Yes?” He responded. 

Marcy saw them and called out to him to wait. She grabbed her phone from the counter and made them stand still for a photo, Emma cheesed it up next to him and David knew he looked like a racoon that got caught rifling through trash. Frightened with wide eyes.

When they made it to the bathroom he looked between her and the sink, not sure what the plan should be. There wasn’t a step stool so he put her down on the counter, but she wiggled and was a little too close to the edge. He picked her right back up. 

She twisted in her arms and he instinctively propped his knee up and she sat on it, reaching into the sink. She held out her hands and he turned on the water. She brushed her fingertips under the stream while looking at him in the mirror. 

He wrapped his fingers around one of her wrists, getting her hand fully wet. He did the same with the other and then she was holding her hands out towards the soap. He squeezed a pump onto her hand, she rubbed them together once and then held them under the water and David cringed. 

She held them there for a second before she was playing with the water, splashing it everywhere and he quickly turned it off. 

He returned her to Beverly, his sweater soaked and he sat down on the other side of Patrick, who just smiled wide at him. 

Throughout the rest of the party, Emma stayed close to David, insisting on sitting with him to eat her cake. They were both covered in crumbs, but after David finished his piece, he was able to finish Emma’s abandoned piece after she left to play with her barbies. 

She brought three of them back to him, shoving one into his hands. She swayed on her feet before climbing into his lap. 

“Pretty,” She said as she held up a barbie in head to toe purple. 

“Just like you!” David said. He poked at the barbie’s dress and then pinched at Emma’s skirt. “Purple! They’re both purple.”

Emma just screeched back  _ ‘purple’  _ at him, delighted and he think he did something right. 

Even when he got up to get water, he saw Emma trailing behind him. He stopped, scooped her up and took her with him. 

Marcy was in the kitchen again and David approached her. 

“She keeps following me around,” David explained as Marcy stared at him with a wide smile. 

“It’s because she likes you,” Marcy winked at him. 

David groaned but smiled immediately at Emma. 

“Yeah, she’s growing on me,” David said quietly, pushing the headband back again after Emma scratched at her head. 

“You know, David,” Marcy said as she came up next to them. She fixed the strap on Emma’s sandal that had come undone. “Sometimes we grow up and start wanting things we never wanted before. And that’s okay. You grow up and your priorities change. It’s okay to want things you never thought you could want.”

Marcy grabbed a cracker off of a plate and handed it to Emma. 

“It’s okay to be wary of kids and still want them. I was afraid of kids until I had Emily. Then I took her home and something clicked. Like, I fully realized that I had to take care of her and she was 100% dependant on me and it just came together. I learned how to be a mom so quickly,” Marcy smiled at someone behind him. When he turned around he saw Emily and Patrick talking on the other side of the glass. They were smiling and laughing and Marcy pulled her phone out of her pocket. 

She snapped a photo and David watched her smile down at it. 

“You won’t be doing it alone. Patrick is a natural. He’s the quickest diaper changer in the family. He’s so patient. And we’ll help as much as we can. And I’m sure your family will be overjoyed,” Marcy said. 

David just smiled at her, transfering Emma to his other hip. 

When the guests started to leave, David felt himself relax. Different family members came to hug him and Patrick goodbye, many of them mentioning they were excited for the wedding and David beamed at the overjoyed expression on Patrick’s face. 

Emma hugged them both tightly when it was her time to leave. He fixed her headband one last time, complimented her dress yet again and felt Patrick wrap an arm around his waist as the little family walked away; Emma waving goodbye to them over her Dad’s shoulders.

“I’ll take a look at the numbers when we get home tomorrow night,” Patrick whispered to him. “Put together a 5 year plan and see where we stand. Do some research on some options.”

David just nodded at him, Marcy’s words echoing in his mind. 

_ “It’s okay to want things.” _

*

In the morning, they were all sitting around the table, eating breakfast when Emily cleared her throat. 

“So, Pete and I have some news,” Emily said. She played with her fork as everyone turned to look at her. “The company I work for is opening a branch in Toronto and they asked me if I wanted to move and be part of senior management. And I said yes.”

“Oh!” Marcy got up, hustling around the table to hug Emily. 

When they pulled away, Emily blushed. 

“Um, there’s one more thing,” Emily bit her lip. She reached back into her pocket. “This really made it an easy decision to move. We want to make sure all the grandparents are nearby”

She pulled out a sonogram and all the Brewer’s jumped up, rushing to hug her and Pete. 

“13 weeks today!” She exclaimed.

David stayed seated, taking pictures of the happy family. He made sure to get a close up of Marcy crying with Clint’s hand on her shoulder. There was a picture of Emily and her dad hugging. One of Patrick holding her at arm’s length, their smiles wide and the sibling similarities were on full display. After he felt like he had fully captured the moment, he got up, giving them his own congratulations. 

After they all sat back down, Marcy wiped at her eyes. 

“So much celebrating for our family this weekend,” she said and everyone laughed. 

*

When they all said their goodbyes, Emily promised to visit Schitt’s Creek after they moved and everything was settled. 

Clint, Marcy, Emily and Pete all waved to David and Patrick as they pulled out of the driveway, and when they were out of view, Patrick picked up David’s hand, kissing along the gold rings. 

“Are you okay?” Patrick asked, glancing at David before making his next right turn. 

“Yeah. I had a really good time,” David turned his head against the headrest to look at him. “Your family made me feel very welcome. Even the 300 people that were there yesterday.”

Patrick just laughed, kissing David’s rings again. 

“I’m excited to go home,” Patrick said in response. 

“I miss our bed,” David said. 

“I miss our store,” Patrick listed. “I also miss the bottles of wine that Stevie has inevitably stolen from us.”

David laughed as his phone dinged. 

“Oh fuck,” David cursed as he read the text on his homescreen. 

“What?” Patrick asked in concern as David pulled his hand from Patrick’s. 

“It’s a text from Alexis,” David groaned, covering his face with his hands. He rubbed at the skin, holding his fingertips over his lips. 

“What does it say?” Patrick asked and David shook his head quickly. “David.”

David sighed as he picked up his phone and read the text aloud word for word.

_ “David!! You and Patrick got married!! AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am currently working on a couple of AUs and I think they're really fun/interesting. If anyone is interested in beta-ing for me, feel free to message me on tumblr [@samwhambam](https://samwhambam.tumblr.com/)! There's a David/Patrick one AND a Stevie/Twyla one. So, if you're interested, feel free to reach out!


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